The invention relates to an elastomer joint, in particular for chassis parts of motor vehicles, comprising a housing, an elastomer body arranged in the housing, and a joint body that is arranged in the elastomer body.
Elastomer joints are maintenance-free, insensitive to external environmental influences and are used in automotive manufacturing for precise axle guidance as well as for greater riding comfort, for example, in buses. According to the prior art, the elastomer body of the joint is prestressed between two support rings, this generally resulting in a radial spring rate which has the drawback that interfering frequencies in the form of vibrations and noises from the drive train can be transmitted to the passenger compartment.
Published Patent Application DE 3 715 360, and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,263 which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a joint of the type mentioned at the outset, in which the sleeve-shaped elastomer body is prestressed between two support rings and in which material recesses are provided in a middle zone on the inner surface of the housing, whose inner surface is cylindrical, so that a space is created into which the elastomer body can deflect, which reduces the prestress of the elastomer body in this area. As the load increases, this results in a progressive spring rate of the joint, and consequently a better vibration and noise damping is achieved.
However, these material recesses on the inner surface of the housing entail a relatively complex manufacturing process in comparison to the production of a housing with a smooth cylindrical inner wall. Moreover, the service life of such a joint is greatly reduced due to greater abrasion of the elastomer at sizeable angle excursions of the pin.